The good thing about an hypothesis is that it will make think. So I've been
doing a bit more thinking on my inferences based on the fact that Humans and
Neanderthals lived side-by-side.

It is known that some "tools" have been found along with hominid remains.
Well, it is rather a common occurrance nowadays to see your dog take one of
your shoes or a wooden instrument such as a good hammer to play with it and
even bury it for a later snack. So I postulate that the same time of
ocurrance could have taken place long ago. The humans being a bit smarter
than their clumsy Neanderthals pets were able to domesticate them. Some of
these pets, I'm sure, like our contemporary pets liked to play with the
"tools" humans spent so much time putting together. This is not so hard to
imagine if one considers that these "tools" were routinely used for defleshing
animals (and other humans) for consumption. I supposed it is not so hard to
believe that the smell of blood would have enticed the hominids. Actually,
even those hominids that were not pets but while beasts probably took such
tools with them for later snacks. I think I saw an episode where cheeta did
something similar to Tarzan for which Tarzan was not very happy. I beg you
pardon me for yet another "Just so" story for the record.

Since Humans and Neanderthals lived side-by-side IT IS POSSIBLE that humans
were the ones who buried these hominids in a religious fashion.
Following a common line of thinking from modern times to the ancient past I
may
add that (hypothesizing here) since I certainly see humans burying their
beloved pets
today in very ritualistic ways, I see no reason why ancient humans did not do
the same
with their domesticated and beloved hominids. Tarzan would have done so with
cheeta. Another "Just so" story for the record.